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Bange-lore
Alms D. meAden
Bellinger, Texas
Bench Life sixty years ago, as told to me by Mr. Charlie
Weldon, born in 1863:
"Well, let's see, I was fifteen years old when I stilted
to work on the U. H. Triangle ranch, owned and run by the
Coggins brothers, Sam Moody. The ranch house wee down on
the Coneho river twelve miles from Fort Chadbourne.
"During the winter months we had horses to break and of
course we rode trail some, but the main thing was to have
our horses ready for the round -up which started in t6ay. We
took turns at guarding the horses, for the Indians were bad
to eons in and drive them off. Well, in them days we broke
our horses on riDonli7ht ni?hts because somehou we got the
idea that tie 7f could be tamed and made better cow ponies
if broke on those nights.
"Along in the spring of '78 we were starting out on
the round -up and the Indians closed in on us from both
sides, going to take Jur horses. I vas told to go to the
wagons but not me; truth is, I was afraid to leave the
grown men so I stayed with them. The battle was awful,
the soldiers care from Fort ehadbourne to help us, and
after we had driven the Indians back to the river and every
thing was quited dirn, the soldiers took fourteen bodies
fron the river, but we didn't lose our horses.
"After the round -up, was the long, hard trip overland
to Farms City to market. That spring we were gone one
hundred days, because after we got our cattle up in Okla-
homa a train came along and nearly scared them critters to
death ene ter went every direction. It took more'n a
weelt to t -et the.: started out arain. They was so nervous
that the rest of trip was sure hard; could not cake more
thnn five Dr six :Ales a day.
That spring I got Ely reges raised from ,25.X) a month
to ,3b.00.8 month. o in the fall of '88 I married sally
dhamberlain. e, (her family and Lle), went in a wagon to
Brounvood to get the license. Vie got all our supplies
-3.
from l',rownwood and always took several weFons and three
or four ,7ien went on horseback to guard the supplies from
the Indians."
Charles eldon, Ballinger, Texas. Interviewed
6eptember 26, 1938.